Horseradish Hash Browns

Author Notes

When I was at The Vanderbilt, I ordered the hangar steak because it came with horseradish hash browns. I took the flavor idea home with me, flattened them out, and paired them with the bacon vinaigrette from OB Cookie's winning potato soup.

Pick up a hangar steak and fire up your grill, or simply top the hash brown with a fried egg and the bacon vinaigrette. You won't send me hate mail, I promise.
—Amanda Hesser

Serves
4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons
prepared horseradish, plus more to taste

8
small white potatoes

Salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Canola oil (or other cooking oil that you like)

4
slices bacon, cooked until crisp

3
scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons
red wine or apple cider vinegar

In This Recipe

Directions

Spoon the horseradish into a small, fine-mesh sieve. Using the back of a spoon, press the liquid from the horseradish. Peel the potatoes, and shred them on a box grater. Gather them up, a handful at a time, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then set the grated potato in a mixing bowl. Add the horseradish and season generously with salt and pepper.

Cover the base of a large cast iron or non stick skillet with 1/8-inch oil. Warm over medium high heat until the oil shimmers and a potato strand added to the oil sizzles. Cook a pinch of the potato mixture, then taste and adjust seasoning, adding more horseradish and salt, if needed. Add a small handful of potato to the pan and use tongs to spread it into a rough circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Continue with the remaining potatoes, filling the pan without crowding it; save some for a second batch if needed. Cook until chestnut brown on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn the hash browns, and brown the other side, about 3 minutes. The trick is to brown the outside while allowing the potatoes on the inside cook through.

Meanwhile, mix the bacon and scallions with the vinegar. As the hash browns finish cooking, transfer them to a baking sheet lined with paper towel and keep warm in a 200 degree oven. Hash browns don't like to be stacked or they get soggy. Serve the hash browns and pass the bacon vinaigrette at the table.

Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I've written several books, including "Cooking for Mr. Latte" and "The Essential New York Times Cookbook." I played myself in "Julie & Julia" -- hope you didn't blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.